All my life I have enjoyed the feel of sand on my bare feet. Beach sand is more than it seems as I have recently discovered. I always thought of it as stones, rocks or “beach stuff” that was just fine and silky– and sometimes stuck to the areas under my swimsuit. Moving to the Florida Keys and away from the northern shores of the Atlantic, I was shocked as I stepped upon the brittle broken coral, which blankets a favorite beach of mine in Key West. This made me take a whole new look at the sands of various beaches I have walked upon. As I thought of other coastlines I have explored such as California, Cape Cod, Aruba, Israel, Italy, France, Greece, Turkey and recently in Scotland, I was reminded of how unique they are. How could I have thought that the brown sugary sands of my childhood home in southern New Jersey would appear worldwide?

As I sat upon the shallow ocean floor one day near my home in the Florida Keys, I was amazed at what I found. I began that glorious trenching of my hands into the soft ground below and all around me. I let my hands sift each handful and watched as it scattered like dust making the clear water glitter. I was startled as I looked into my hands in wonder and utter surprise. This didn’t look like sand at all. I saw tiny fragments of bone, shell, coral, plant, animal…life.

Water meditations are often filled with unusual messages and on this day I sat in the shallow sea and closed my eyes. I gathered the sand and held it in my palms and began my meditation. The lights shimmered across my mind's screen and I began to open up to them. Who are you? I thought. When did you live and from where have you come? Slowly I let the sand settle not wanting to disturb it. A new awareness of what I was treading upon­ came to me. An understanding of what my bare feet were connecting with. I finished the meditation and continued to sit in silence soaking up all that I had just experienced.

Asking questions during meditation can sometimes bring replies, but not always during the time you are seated. Slowly I got up and thanked All that IS. I knew I was not alone and that feeling of love wrapped itself around me as the sun warmed my skin. I marveled at the sand as I felt it more alive to me, yes, I thought, who are you?
And as I walked back along the route I had come I looked down at my footprints and they spoke softly to me…I am you.